 Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu says the Komotini organized industrial zone exemplifies the importance of the economic crisis in Greece. 'Eighty-five percent of facilities in this region are closed down,' Hisarcıklıoğlu says. AA photo |
Greek businesspeople have invited Turkish investors to buy non-active facilities in western Thrace that have been forced to close because of the economic crisis that wracked Greece in 2010.
The Greek economic crisis represents a serious investment opportunity for the Turkish businesspeople, said Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, chief of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges, or TOBB.
Speaking during the Turkey-Greece second Regional Business Forum held in western Thrace’s Komotini district, Hisarcıklıoğlu suggested Turkish businesspeople invest in Greece, Turkish daily Milliyet reported Sunday.
Hisarcıklıoğlu highlighted the importance of the economic crisis in Greece, adding that the Komotini organized industrial zone was an example of extremely hard-hit the country was. “Eighty-five percent of facilities in the region are closed,” he said.
“Greek businesspeople are calling on us to come to the region and buy these non-active facilities. They want to sell them under price to be able to maintain employment for the workers.”
Turkey has been a rising-star country in every field in recent years, said Georgios Kassimatis, chairman of the Union of Hellenic Chambers. Greece should see Turkey’s development programs as exemplary, he said.
Developing economic relations between the two countries would be the biggest contribution to the improvement of the Greek economy, according to Hisarcıklıoğlu. “Turkey is the road map for Greece to overcome the crisis,” Turkish daily Hürriyet quoted Hisarcıklıoğlu as saying.
Turkey and Greece will likely be among countries most seriously affected by economic fluctuations and natural disasters, such as drought, over the next 10 years, Hisarcıklıoğlu, calling for businesspeople from both countries to cooperate.
“If Greece is experiencing an economic crisis, then here is 70 million Turkey, which imports products worth of $200 billion each year. Let’s draw the 10-year cooperation map together,” he said.
The aim of the business forum is to provide Turkish and Greek businesspeople opportunities to do more business together, according to Mustafa Yardımcı, chairman of the Edirne Commodity Exchange and board member of TOBB. “Greece’s northern Thrace may have a key role in the growth of business volume between the two countries,” Anatolia news agency reported Saturday.
Ekrem Demirtaş, chairman of the İzmir Chamber of Commerce, said at the forum that their aim was to exceed $10 million in trade volume between the two countries. “The establishment of ro-ro transportation between the important trade ports of the two countries will contribute to the development of economic relations,” Anatolia news agency quoted Demirtaş as saying.
The integration of another neighbor, Bulgaria, in the trade relations between Turkey and Greece may increase the business dynamic in the region, according to Panagiotis Koutsikos, president of the Greek-Turkish Chamber of Commerce. “Turkey has also investments in Bulgaria, as it does in Greece. We should seek to unify these investments,” Koutsikos said at the meeting.
During the business forum, a total of 440 meetings were held between Turkish and Greek businesspeople in various fields, from food production to tourism and from stockbreeding to industrial product manufacture.
The forum, attended by a total of 360 Turkish and 178 Greek businesspeople, ran for two days over the weekend.
Turkish Industry and Commerce Minister Nihat Ergün, Tanıl Küçük, deputy chairman of TOBB, and Selim Egeli, head of the Turkey’s Foreign Economic Relations Board, or DEİK, also attended the forum, which was coordinated in conjunction with the Union of Hellenic Chambers.
The first regional business forum between the two countries was held Dec. 9 last year in Thessalonica.
The Greek economic crisis represents a serious investment opportunity for the Turkish businesspeople, said Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, chief of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges, or TOBB.
Speaking during the Turkey-Greece second Regional Business Forum held in western Thrace’s Komotini district, Hisarcıklıoğlu suggested Turkish businesspeople invest in Greece, Turkish daily Milliyet reported Sunday.
Hisarcıklıoğlu highlighted the importance of the economic crisis in Greece, adding that the Komotini organized industrial zone was an example of extremely hard-hit the country was. “Eighty-five percent of facilities in the region are closed,” he said.
“Greek businesspeople are calling on us to come to the region and buy these non-active facilities. They want to sell them under price to be able to maintain employment for the workers.”
Turkey has been a rising-star country in every field in recent years, said Georgios Kassimatis, chairman of the Union of Hellenic Chambers. Greece should see Turkey’s development programs as exemplary, he said.
Developing economic relations between the two countries would be the biggest contribution to the improvement of the Greek economy, according to Hisarcıklıoğlu. “Turkey is the road map for Greece to overcome the crisis,” Turkish daily Hürriyet quoted Hisarcıklıoğlu as saying.
Turkey and Greece will likely be among countries most seriously affected by economic fluctuations and natural disasters, such as drought, over the next 10 years, Hisarcıklıoğlu, calling for businesspeople from both countries to cooperate.
“If Greece is experiencing an economic crisis, then here is 70 million Turkey, which imports products worth of $200 billion each year. Let’s draw the 10-year cooperation map together,” he said.
The aim of the business forum is to provide Turkish and Greek businesspeople opportunities to do more business together, according to Mustafa Yardımcı, chairman of the Edirne Commodity Exchange and board member of TOBB. “Greece’s northern Thrace may have a key role in the growth of business volume between the two countries,” Anatolia news agency reported Saturday.
Ekrem Demirtaş, chairman of the İzmir Chamber of Commerce, said at the forum that their aim was to exceed $10 million in trade volume between the two countries. “The establishment of ro-ro transportation between the important trade ports of the two countries will contribute to the development of economic relations,” Anatolia news agency quoted Demirtaş as saying.
The integration of another neighbor, Bulgaria, in the trade relations between Turkey and Greece may increase the business dynamic in the region, according to Panagiotis Koutsikos, president of the Greek-Turkish Chamber of Commerce. “Turkey has also investments in Bulgaria, as it does in Greece. We should seek to unify these investments,” Koutsikos said at the meeting.
During the business forum, a total of 440 meetings were held between Turkish and Greek businesspeople in various fields, from food production to tourism and from stockbreeding to industrial product manufacture.
The forum, attended by a total of 360 Turkish and 178 Greek businesspeople, ran for two days over the weekend.
Turkish Industry and Commerce Minister Nihat Ergün, Tanıl Küçük, deputy chairman of TOBB, and Selim Egeli, head of the Turkey’s Foreign Economic Relations Board, or DEİK, also attended the forum, which was coordinated in conjunction with the Union of Hellenic Chambers.
The first regional business forum between the two countries was held Dec. 9 last year in Thessalonica.
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